Etihad Airways announces order for 52 CFM engines to power ew A321NEO aircraft

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has announced an order with CFM International for 52LEAP-1A engines to power 26 new Airbus A321neo aircraft.

The order,
unveiled today at the Dubai Air Show 2013,includes a 15-year Rate Per Flight
Hour (RPFH) agreement, under which CFM International will guarantee maintenance
costs on a dollar per engine flight hour basis.

TheLEAP-1A engines
will be fitted onto 26 A321neo aircraft, which form part of a US$ 26.9 billion
order with Airbus also announced today by Etihad Airways. Delivery of the
aircraft is scheduled to commence from 2020.

James Hogan,
President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said: “Etihad Airways
prides itself on operating modern, state-of-the-art and highly efficient aircraft,
with the Airbus A320 family at the heart of our narrow-body fleet.

“Through the
introduction of brand new Airbus A320neo family aircraft, we will benefit from
evenlower fuel consumption and environmental impact on short-haul and
medium-haul flights. Much of these operational improvements will derive from
the advanced LEAP-1A engine, which has been meeting all performance targets.”

Rooted in advanced
aerodynamics and materials technology development programs, LEAP engines are
designed to provide 15 per cent better fuel consumption and an equivalent
reduction in CO2 emissions compared to today's best CFM engine,
along with a 50 per cent reduction in oxides of nitrogen emissions and up to 75
per cent less engines noise footprint.

CFM International
completed ground testing of the first full LEAP engine last month, with a
five-week program that involved more than 400 cycles over 310 hours. Engine
certification is expected in 2015, followed by first entry into commercial
service on the A320neo in 2016.

Jean-Paul Ebanga, President
and CEO of CFM International, said: "We are happy to welcome Etihad Airways
as a CFM customer. In just 10 years, this airline has built a reputation for
excellence in every facet of its business, and we are honored to become part of
this team.

“We are excited
that Etihad Airways chose to power its new A321 aircraft with the LEAP engine. We
think this engine is going to be the best we’ve ever built and Etihad Airways will realise the benefits from day one –
lower fuel burn, lower noise and emissions, all with CFM’s legendary
reliability and low cost of ownership.”